Waterloo Region reaches vaccination milestone as clinics adjust to reduced vaccine supply

Waterloo Region – On Thursday, April 15, Waterloo Region reached an important milestone: 25 per cent of the adult population, or 133,166 individuals, have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Many more residents of priority groups who are eligible for their first dose of the vaccine have already pre-registered for an appointment on the Region of Waterloo’s website. The Waterloo Region Vaccine Distribution Task Force will open pre-registration to other groups according to the Province’s prioritization plan and subject to the availability of vaccines.

From the start of the vaccine rollout, the Waterloo Region Vaccine Distribution Task Force has had to make adjustments to clinic appointments based on whether the Region receives more or less vaccine than expected. For the next two to three weeks, shipment delays of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will impact the amount of vaccine arriving in the Region. As a result, the Task Force is planning to close vaccination clinics for several days at a time while it waits for more vaccine to be delivered.

“The current delay in vaccine delivery is going to have an impact on our vaccination efforts in the coming weeks,” said Jennifer Davis, Inspector for Waterloo Region Police Service and Lead of Command Operations for the Waterloo Region Vaccine Distribution Task Force. “We have been opening clinics to build our capacity to vaccinate more residents of Waterloo Region as quickly as possible. We’re ready to get vaccines in arms as soon as we get them.”

Adults 55+ are encouraged to consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine from a participating pharmacy and at some primary care locations, as this may be the fastest way to get the vaccine.

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